They travelled from across the country after watching Murray beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - becoming the first British player to reach the final in 74 years.

More fans were arriving today, hopeful of securing some of the £8 ground passes which go on sale tomorrow morning.

Sarah Locke, 28, an administrator from Hillingon Hospital, in London, waited for a telephone call from her mother to say Murray had won his semi-final before heading to the All England Club, where she pitched her tent with around 25 others.

"I came here straight from work yesterday," said Miss Locke.

"It's such a great atmostphere, everyone here is so lovely. I don't think Murray will win, but I don't think he will go out in straight sets. You have always got to back the British."

Richard Hartley, 40, flew in from Germany last night, where he works as a sales and marketing director.

"I was watching the match last night and thought 'let's try to get tickets'," he said.

He sent his brother Darren, who lives in Bolton, a text asking if he wanted to join him, and got on a flight from Frankfurt, arriving at Wimbledon at around 9am this morning.

Darren, 36, an architectural photographer, who arrived shortly after his brother, said: "It took less time for him to get here from Germany than it did for me to come from Bolton."

Darren picked up a £20 tent and two chairs from a supermarket on the way. "Realistically, if I was putting my mortage on it I would say Federer but Murray is playing better than ever. He is mentally and physically stronger - he's a man now."

Dan Golding, 23, and his girlfiend Lydia Payne, 21, were dressed in a Union Jack suit jacket and dress made put of tea towels by Miss Payne.

"I am very new to tennis," said Miss Payne, a primary school teacher. "I didn''t like it until eight days ago but Dan kept getting more and more excited. It was on the TV a lot so he explained the rules."

The couple travelled down from Bath with friends Rosemary Erwin, 22, and Lawrence Winter, 26, late on Friday, arriving at Wimbledon at midnight.

Mr Golding, a student and charity worker, said: "I was watching the match and getting very excited and just decided that we should go. It was very spontaneous but luckily I have spontaneous friends."

The campers will be woken at round 5.30am tomorrow, and taken by stewards through security and into the queue for ground passes, allowing access to Murray Mound. There are no tickets available for Centre Court, but around 3,500 people are expected to cheer Murray on from the hill at the All England Club, with a further 4,500 watching on televiosn screens inside court number two.